Ex-RCBC manager appeals conviction over Bangladesh bank heist

MANILA, Philippines — Former Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. bank manager Maia Deguito sought the reversal of the Makati court’s money laundering conviction over the Bangladesh bank heist.

Deguito, through her lawyers, filed a 53-page motion for reconsideration on January 25. A copy of which was made public only on Monday.

The former bank manager was accused of facilitating the transfer of the $81 million that suspiciously went through the country’s financial system and into accounts at her branch.

On January 10, Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 149 Judge Cesar Untalan sentenced Deguito to a prison term of up to 56 years after the court found her guilty of money laundering.

“She implemented, executed and transacted all these deposits and withdrawals involving huge and big amounts in United States dollars within a timeframe of less than two hours,” the court said.

The court also noted that Deguito has 16 years of experience in banking yet she “proceeded deliberately and transacted with haste of these remittances, which are crystal clear big amounts above the ‘covered transactions’ by the AMLA Law!”

But Deguito’s camp argued that the court “misunderstood” the definition of money laundering under RA 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001.

She asserted that the court merely “presumed” of her knowledge of the illegal sources of the said funds.

“This conclusion, however, was not based on direct proof of the element of knowledge, as the Prosecution failed to present any. Instead, it was only presumed by the Honorable Court from the alleged failure of Accused to do what the Honorable Court believes she should have done,” the appeal read.

Bangladesh bank heist not yet closed

Probe into one of the biggest cyber-heists in history meanwhile is not yet over at the national prosecution level.

The Department of Justice confirmed early on January that criminal complaints against six other RCBC officers remain pending.

“There is no resolution yet from the preliminary investigation earlier conducted on that case,” Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon said.